Christchurch council staff get extra holidays

Stressed Christchurch council office workers will get an
extra day's paid holiday each month but it looks like their
colleagues who are helping rebuild the quake-damaged city
won't be getting it.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that city council workers will
receive one extra day's paid holiday each month from now
until November next year in in recognition of the pressure
they have been under since the big quakes in February 2011,
and September 2010.

An estimated 850 people work for city-council owned City Care
but spokeswoman Phillipa Webb said: "We will not be granting
our employees extra leave."

City Care is part of Christchurch City Holdings Ltd, a city
council company.

Ms Webb said city council policies did not apply to City Care
but the union which represents City Care workers believes
that the holiday offer should also cover them.

Amalgamated Workers Union assistant secretary Lindsay
Chappell said: "We are currently putting a written request
forward for [City Care to give] some consideration to
workers. They are the people at the front line."

Some had worked 24-hour stretches after the quakes, he said.

"There's no denial these people put in the effort and
probably a darn site more than someone behind an office
desk," he said.

The city council yesterday declined to comment on the City
Care issue.

Just under 2000 city council staff will be eligible for the
days off, which have been called staff support days.

City Care achieved a strong financial performance for the
year ended 30 June 2012, returning a net profit after tax of
$16.5 million and a substantial increase on the previous
year's profit of $11.3 million.

Revenue for the year increased considerably from $237 million
in 2011 to $354 million, a rise of 48 per cent. The increase
in revenue is largely as a result of the work undertaken
after Christchurch's earthquakes and aftershocks.